Wigan and Leeds Dominate Super Four as Wigan Climb Level with Rhinos in Super League
Wigan Warriors moved level on points with Leeds Rhinos at the top of the Betfred Super League on a day when both clubs also asserted themselves in the women's Super Four.
Wigan travelled to Odsal and dismantled Bradford Bulls 34-6, collecting their 18th league win of the season under head coach Matt Peet. Jake Wardle crossed twice, with further tries from Adam Keighran, Bevan French, Kian McDermott and Jake Kerr. Harry Smith kicked five goals. Andy Ackers scored Bradford's lone try, converted by Hooley, in a match refereed by Marcus Griffiths (BBC Sport).
The result left Wigan second in the table, behind Leeds only on points difference. Bradford stayed 13th, two points clear of bottom-placed Huddersfield.
Earlier in the women's Super Four — the end-of-season format where the top four teams play each other to decide finalists — Wigan were ruthless. They beat York Valkyrie 44-0 at Edge Hall Road to stay unbeaten in the competition. York, after two matches, sat bottom of the four-team group (BBC Sport).
Leeds Rhinos' women got the better of St Helens in a thrilling Super Four contest at the BrewDog Stadium, winning 34-24. The semi-finals will follow the two completed rounds of Super Four fixtures.
In the Shield — the companion competition for teams outside the Super Four — Huddersfield Giants hammered Leigh Leopards 34-0 at Twist Lane, with Amelia Brown scoring four tries. Barrow Raiders' miserable run continued with a 22-14 home defeat to Featherstone Rovers at the Speed Competitions Stadium, a ninth consecutive league loss.
The Super League title race is the thread that ties the day together. Leeds and Wigan are locked together, separated by the slender margin of points difference — the cumulative winning or losing margins across all their matches. For neutral followers, that means every score in the remaining rounds carries double weight: win big and the table can flip.
Leeds had beaten St Helens 24-16 at home in a Super League fixture back in June, their first home league win over the Saints since 2017 (Leeds Rhinos). That result helped establish the momentum that has carried them to the summit, but Wigan's consistency — 18 wins and counting — keeps the pressure relentless.
For Bradford, the picture is grimmer. A single try at Odsal told the story of an afternoon spent largely without the ball. Two points above Huddersfield at the foot of the table offers little comfort when the gap to safety, if one opens, will be measured in attitude as much as ability.
The women's game, meanwhile, continues to deliver its own drama. Wigan's 44-0 demolition of York sent a statement about the depth of talent in cherry and white, while Leeds and St Helens produced a ten-point margin that flattered neither side. The Super Four semi-finals will sort the genuine contenders from the also-rans.
